She also discussed her belief that “hunters are the ones that are giving so much back to preserving the wild species.”

“No photographer is going to go to Liberia to take a photograph. But hunters have that desire to see new areas, and as a result of these hunters coming in, they’re creating jobs, they’re helping to drill wells and take animal censuses, and what’s most important is the anti-poaching efforts,” Opre said. “There are biologists that have been paid for by hunters’ trophy dollars that go in and take censuses,” she added.

Opre also claimed that organisations like Safari Club International fund research in hunting areas to make sure the “numbers are sustainable.”

Big game hunters such as Opre often receive harsh backlash, especially online, when they share images of their “trophies.”

The photo of Longoria holding the carcass of the big cat went viral after it was posted on Instagram by David Bonnouvrier, co-founder of “Knot on my Planet,” an organisation that works to end elephant ivory poaching.

It was later shared by many others, including celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Doutzen Kroes and Kyle Richards, all of whom expressed their disapproval of Longoria’s hobby.

Opre has also been the focus of social media backlash, with commenters calling her “vile” and “evil,” among other insults.

“There’s a huge difference between hunting and poaching, and what hunters are doing is legal. So when you have death threats on somebody who has done something legal, it’s extremely frustrating,” she said.